Dogs ready to strut their stuff at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

TN06-DOGSHOW-01-TRC (Thomas R. Cordova/Staff Photographer) Ollie, a toy fox terrier, plays with his favorite toy as he trains in Chino January 5, 2013. Ollie will be participating in this year's Westminster Dog Show in New York City.

No other dog event - and there are thousands of them held across America every year - even comes close to commanding the awe, the celebrity and the media hype of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Perhaps because of its venue - New York City - or its longevity - the show is in its 137th year - Westminster is the crown jewel of dog shows, the "Miss America" pageant of the dog world.

The city pulls out all the stops when the show arrives in the second week of February. Hotels and restaurants suddenly turn dog-friendly. The Empire State Building lights up in Westminster's colors of purple and gold.

Oh, and that blizzard?

No worries. While canceled flights caused some last-minute scrambles for dog owners flying in from other parts of the country this weekend, the dog show has carried on through snow storms before.

"The fun part is to go into the lobbies of the hotels that cater to dogs to see the insanity," said Diane Amiel of Sherman Oaks whose long-haired Dachshund George is competing this year. "It's a zoo."

Eclectic, flashy - at times a little bizarre (yes, we're talking about those poodle cuts) - the show's nonstop pageantry features a dazzling array of pampered, blow-dried dogs.

They are the best of the best, the tops of their breed.

The sheer variety of dogs is astounding.

There are 187 breeds and varieties - with a total of 2,688 dogs - being featured in this year's show that runs Monday and Tuesday.

Ranging from tiny to huge, hairless to shaggy; from affenpinschers to German shepherds to Yorkshire terriers, the dogs at Westminster offer what is a glamor-filled tribute to America's ongoing love affair with man's best friend.

"Our dogs have this great spiritual and emotional connection with us because they are members of the family," said David Frei, who is known as the voice of Westminster and will announce his 24th consecutive televised Westminster show this year.

How much does it cost to get a dog to Westminster?

"A lot," said Gloria Henderson, who has shown golden retrievers and teaches a class in dog show handling in Lomita.

Many dogs have backers and more than one owner as a way to help defray the significant costs of puppy purchase, entry fees, grooming supplies, professional handler fees or handling classes and show travel. It can all easily soar to more $10,000 to "finish" or achieve championship status for a dog.

And while going to Westminster is on the bucket list of many show dog owners, it's also become a national talker as some 3.5 viewers tune in on their televisions and the Best in Show dog, the toast of New York, makes guest appearances on TV shows for weeks.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, Frei said people watch the show for several reasons, among them to see all the different breeds and varieties of dogs and to "see who's going to become America's dog for the year in Best in Show."

Mainly, though, people watch for "the alma mater factor," he said.

"If people are sitting at home with their Brittany (spaniel), they're going to root for the Brittany."

The show began in 1877, long before television - or even the light bulb and the automobile, for that matter - was invented. Westminster remains the longest continuously running sporting event in the U.S. - second only to the Kentucky Derby that beats it by only one year.

Plenty of two-legged celebrities have gotten into the act, among them Lauren Bacal, Bill Cosby and Martha Stewart.

But the real stars of the show? That would be the dogs.

They seem to bask in the glow of their special moment in the spotlight as they are trotted around the ring to the cheers of the crowd at Madison Square Garden.

Some waddle just to keep up, others sprint or prance with athletic grace.

The show begins with judging within the breeds - taking place during both days at a new secondary venue this year, Piers 92/94 a few blocks from Madison Square Garden.

Breed winners then compete within groups, with the final group competition being broadcast on Monday and Tuesday evenings. (There are seven groups: hounds, toy, nonsporting, herding, sporting, working and terrier.)

The seven dogs that win in each group then compete for what is Best in Show, the grand prize, which will air toward the end of the program on Tuesday night. Last year's winner was Malachy, a Pekingese.

Terriers have often been a favorite of the judges of Westminster, especially in the show's earlier years, Frei said.

Chalk it up to the breed's characteristic spunk that can give them an edge in the show ring.

"They were bred to look for trouble," Frei said. "At a dog show, terriers are always out at the end of their leash, looking at what's going on."

Dogs get about two minutes in the ring, where the judge gives each animal a hands-on check, looking at everything from the dogs' teeth to the overall physical proportions and the shape of his ears - even the thickness of his whiskers.

The dog and handler then are asked to take a walk so the judge can assess the animal's gait.

All dogs are judged according to how well they conform to their particular breed "standard."

The choice is never easy, Frei said.

"This is the only time all year where all the great dogs are in the same place at the same time. They're all great dogs."

In the end, a dog show judge has to be "equal part artist and equal part engineer," Frei said.

"The sport is very subjective," he said. "You can put the same seven dogs (from one ring) in another ring the next day and another judge might pick another dog."

The show has its critics.

When the border collie, long prized for its working abilities, was accepted into the herding group in 1995, some border collie groups objected. They worried that breeding the dog for some of its more aesthetic "show" qualities - such as a lush coat - could dilute the breed's stellar working-dog genes over time.

Spay-and-neuter activists have lodged concerns about perpetuating the breeding of purebred dogs in light of pet overpopulation. And People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has objected to such practices as tail-docking to adhere to some breed standards.

But the goal of Westminster, Frei said, is to educate people about all dogs and responsible dog ownership, including the importance of choosing a breed or breed mix best suited to an owner's lifestyle.

"It's not about pure breeds against mixed breed dogs," he said.

"We want people to think about the real best-in-show dog - the one who's sitting on the couch right next to them. We want them to reach out and hug that dog."